The West Midlands Academic Health Science Network (WMAHSN) is supporting a new healthcare innovation, designed to help patients who are recovering from lung surgery or experiencing a collapsed lung.
The innovation, named Thopaz+, is a portable, digital chest drainage and monitoring system, which allows patients to be monitored via digital readings, supporting recovery and reducing the length of hospital stays.
After lung surgery or a collapsed lung, patients will often have a chest drain fitted to remove any air or fluid in the chest cavity. A conventional chest drain uses an underwater seal chamber and subjective methods to monitor patient progress.
However, Thopaz+ streamlines the current process used for monitoring patients’ rate of air leak and fluid drainage by displaying data digitally, aiding clinical decision making, improving patient safety, and providing a more cost-effective solution. Thopaz+ is also portable, meaning patients can get up from their beds much earlier than when using conventional chest drains, aiding recovery.
Through the MedTech Funding Mandate Policy – developed by the Accelerated Access Collaborative, part of NHS England and NHS Improvement – the WMAHSN will support NHS providers to implement Thopaz+ within the West Midlands and accelerate patient access to the innovation, supporting the NHS Long Term Plan.
Dr Joseph Robinson, WMAHSN Innovation Project Manager and AHSN National Lead for Thopaz+, said: “Thopaz+ is a fantastic healthcare innovation that we are pleased to be supporting as part of the MedTech Funding Mandate Policy.
“Being digital and portable, the device aids clinical decision making with objective data, and it has also been demonstrated as cost-saving by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. It will bring numerous benefits to both NHS staff and patients, and we hope to support equitable patient access across the West Midlands and nationally.”
To find out more about Thopaz+ or the WMAHSN, please visit: https://www.wmahsn.org/
